1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to the field of gaming and, more particularly, to pari-mutuel betting methods, pari-mutuel gaming systems and electronic betting interfaces.
2. State of the Art
Pari-mutuel betting is a system of cooperative wagering where the holders of winning tickets divide the total amount of money bet on a pool of a race or other competitive event, after deductions for taxes and operator expenses are taken out of the pool. In pari-mutuel betting, the payoff odds are determined by the amount of money wagered and the amount of successful wagers. For instance, if the majority of money is wagered on the eventual winner, the payoff odds are lower since the winners split the pool. There can be multiple pools for any given wagering event. For example, a racing track may offer win, place, show, exacta, and trifecta pool wagers on each race. Each pool has different criteria for winning the money bet into it, and the expected payoff or “price” of the wager is typically greater with certain types of wagers that have few successful wagers, like trifecta, than with wagers for which there are frequently a lot of winners, like show pools. Pari-mutuel betting is typically offered at horseracing tracks, but it is also used at other types of racing tracks including greyhound tracks, as well as jai alai games.
Although pari-mutuel betting has been around for many years, the number of players or patrons participating in pari-mutuel betting has declined. One reason for the decline is the lack of new, and younger, participants in pari-mutuel gaming. The younger generation typically likes fast paced and exciting gaming activities and, when participants go to a track, the races on which the pari-mutuel bets are placed may only take place at certain intervals. Thus, if participants are only able to place a bet and see the race every half hour or so, the participants may lose interest.
One attempt to attract more participants to pari-mutuel betting is simulcasting. In simulcasting, races from multiple race tracks are broadcast at a betting facility, whereat participants are able to place bets on races occurring at the various race tracks. In this manner, the participants are able to place more bets and increase the entertainment value of the gaming experience for a given period of time.
Another barrier to recruiting new patrons is their relative disadvantage when competing with bettors who are adept at assessing or “handicapping” race participants. The handicapping process is a selection process developed by more experienced and sophisticated players that evaluates different factors of the race competitors and is used to influence the bet selections of these players. Learning the handicapping process of pari-mutuel betting can often be intimidating for new players. The acquisition of knowledge in handicapping and correct wager selection is time-consuming and, therefore, creates a barrier to participation for many new players.
Another important reason for constrained growth in pari-mutuel wagering is the complexity of placing wagers. Bettors can choose from a large number of available betting pools. These pools can cover a single race or multiple races. Single race pools include Win, Place, Show, Exacta (AKA Perfecta), Quinella, Trifecta (AKA Triple), and Superfecta. Multiple race pools include Daily Double, Pick 3, Pick 4, Pick 6, Quinella Double, Twin Trifecta, and Tri-super. The fact that there are so many bets to learn can be daunting to novices.
Some pools, generally referred to as “exotics,” such as exacta, trifecta, and superfecta can be especially confusing. These bets require the bettor to correctly predict the finish order of each relevant runner. For example, in an exacta wager, the bettor must specify which runner will cross the finish line first and which runner will cross second. Therefore, in addition to selecting the pool and runners, bettors must determine which runners they would like to bet on for each position (for single race pools) or leg (for multiple race pools). Over time, a number of shortcuts have been developed to make it easier for bettors to cover their desired runners in each position. The totalisator industry refers to these shortcuts as “bet modifiers.” There are four commonly used bet modifiers; “box”—in which the selected participants or runners are placed in all finish positions and/or legs, “wheel”—in which all participants are placed in a specified position and/or legs, “part wheel”—in which multiple participants (but not all) are placed in a specified position or leg and “key”—in which a single runner is specified in the first position or leg and other specified runners are automatically placed in all of the remaining positions or legs. Bet modifiers, while helpful shortcuts to experienced bettors, present yet another level of complexity for novice bettors.
Currently, there are essentially three mediums available for placing wagers: oral, printed bet slip, and electronic interface. The most traditional medium is the oral bet. In this medium, the patron makes his or her wager to a teller, who enters the wager into a computer terminal. Another common medium, especially popular outside of the United States, is for the bettor to complete a printed bet slip and input the slip into a computer or betting terminal. The third medium, the electronic interface, has grown in popularity over the past several years. “Self-service” terminals have been developed that allow a patron to enter his or her wager without a teller intermediary by selecting various interface areas on a computer touchscreen. In addition, patrons can use Internet betting sites or touch tone telephones to proceed through the betting process. The betting machines may be employed at racetracks, at offtrack betting sites (OTBs) and may be interfaced with other media such as the Internet. In both teller-operated and self-serve betting, the bet entry process is essentially linear. While the patron may be able to change a portion of his wager, the practice of data entry through electronic interfaces has been as follows: track name, race number, wager amount, pool/bet modifier, and runner selected. This sequence of data entry can often be cumbersome since pool types are selected prior to the selection of runners and this data entry sequence generally requires that a patron know which pool(s) he or she wishes to place wagers on prior to beginning the process of placing a wager. In addition, this sequence generally requires that a patron restate (to a teller), remark (on a bet slip), or reselect (on a touchscreen providing an electronic interface) desired runners for each of the pools on which he or she desires to wager. The requirement for reselecting runners exists even when placing multiple wagers (win, exacta, trifecta) on the same runners in the same race. For example, a bettor wishing to place trifecta box and exacta box bets on the 1, 2, and 3 horses generally needs to place the trifecta bet, select the exacta pool and reselect the 1, 2 and 3 runners for the exacta wager. This process is cumbersome, time-consuming and error-prone. In short, it provides another obstacle for increased participation in pari-mutuel wagering.
Three methods currently exist for placing wagers: single pool betting, multiple pool betting and multibet. The most common method for placing pari-mutuel wagers is single pool betting. In this method, the patron generally selects a track, race, wager amount, pool (win or place or show or exacta, or trifecta, etc.), optionally a pool modifier such as “box” or “wheel” (in some cases the patron may select the pool and modifier simultaneously by pressing an “exacta box” button, for example) and runners. In single pool betting, a patron who wants to place multiple wagers on a single race must reselect runners for each pool on which he or she desires to wager. Single pool betting is generally accomplished orally at teller-operated terminals, by bet slips fed into staffed terminals, or through electronic interfaces of self-serve terminals and computers. FIG. 1 illustrates a conventional ticket for pari-mutuel betting that includes four wagers, a Quinella, a Win, a Place and a Trifecta. For the patron to place the 1/6 Quinella bet and the 1/6/3 Trifecta bet, the patron must reselect the runners, regardless of the order in which the wagers were entered.
The second most common method of placing pari-mutuel wagers is multiple pool betting. In this method, the patron selects a wager amount, for example $2.00, a multiple wager pool, most commonly Win, Place and Show, and the desired runners. This method allows for rapid entry of multiple wagers of the same value on the same runners. However, multiple pool betting has limitations as it lacks flexibility in that, if the bettor wanted a $4 win bet and $2 place and show bets, he or she could not use this method and would have to enter the wagers by the single pool method. Multiple pool betting can be accomplished orally through teller-operated terminals, using bet slips or through electronic interfaces of self-service terminals and computers. A much less popular method for placing wagers is “MultiBet” currently offered by Playboy Racing USA of Grantville, Pa. The MultiBet is essentially a single pool bet with the option of accepting runner selections for up to sixteen runners in up to six positions, or legs, regardless of the actual number of runners and pools available. To place wagers into multiple pools, the patron selects each pool type, re-enters a wager amount and adds the wager to the cue for later submission by the patron. Playboy Racing describes MultiBet as follows: “MultiBet is a facility that makes placing bets over the Internet even faster and easier. It does this by allowing you to create a batch of bets over multiple tracks, races and bet types. This batch of bets is then submitted for processing, and all bets are processed in one transaction instead of one at a time.” MultiBet is very similar to an electronic form of the printed bet slip, a copy of which is shown as FIG. 34. Referring now to FIG. 3, there is shown a screen illustrating a betting process used by Amtote Systems, Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md. FIG. 4 illustrates a screen showing a betting process used by Autotote Systems, Inc. of New York, N.Y. FIG. 5 depicts a screen illustrating another betting process utilized by United Tote Company of Glen Rock, Pa., assignee of the present invention. A betting process offered by Youbet.com, Inc. of Woodland Hills, Calif. is illustrated in FIG. 6, and another betting process provided by TVG Network of Beaverton, Oreg. is depicted in FIG. 7. Playboy Racing USA of Grantville, Pa. offers the betting process as illustrated in FIG. 8. The various screens illustrate attempts of known methods to implement pari-mutuel wager options on electronic interfaces. FIG. 9 comprises a flowchart of the pari-mutuel gaming activity offered by the screen of FIG. 8.
In other attempts to make pari-mutuel wagering easier, a wager amount and a “Quick Pick” have been developed. The Quick Pick selection allows patrons to place a wager without making a conscious bet selection that takes into account all aspects of the wager or without having to navigate through all of the various betting menus. Quick Pick selections may be made by selecting a pool and runners, or the patron may select the pool and the Quick Pick selects the runners. The Quick Pick selections are always random, and usually the same actions and decisions are required by the patron whether the Quick Pick selection is offered at a teller-operated terminal or a self-service terminal. FIG. 10 illustrates a betting interface provided by Autotote Systems, Inc. of New York, N.Y. that offers a Quick Pick selection. The betting interface of FIG. 10 only allows Quick Picks on the runner selection screen by pressing the button labeled “Qpk.”
FIG. 11 illustrates another betting interface provided by Amtote Systems, Inc. of Hunt Valley, Md. that offers a Quick Pick selection. However, the betting interface of FIG. 11 only offers the Quick Picks on the runner selection screen. FIGS. 12 and 13 depict Quick Pick selections offered by United Tote Company of Glen Rock, Pa. on both the pool screen and the runner screen by pressing the “Quick” and “Qck” buttons, respectively. Internet betting sites typically do not offer Quick Picks.
Although Quick Picks are the most streamlined methods for placing wagers currently available, patrons or tellers must press multiple buttons or keys to place a Quick Pick pari-mutuel wager. Further, the Quick Picks require the patron to make multiple selections or button presses in order to place a wager at a self-service betting terminal. For instance, for a patron or teller to place a Quick Pick on his or her initial wagering attempt using a betting terminal offered by United Tote as depicted in FIG. 12 or 13, a patron needs to select 1) the track, 2) the race, 3) an amount of the wager, and 4) the Quick Pick pool and runner(s) at random. Thus, at least four selections are required. To place a Quick Pick using a betting terminal offered by Autotote or Amtote as respectively depicted in FIG. 10 or FIG. 11, respectively, a patron must select 1) the track and race, 2) an amount of the wager, 3) a pool, and 4) Quick Pick runner(s) at random. Thus, at least four selections are also required.
When patrons place multi-positional (for example trifecta) or multi-leg (for example Pick 6) pari-mutuel wagers, the patron typically selects runners for positions using one of two methods. In the first, more common method, the patron selects runners for the first position or leg, and then for the second position or leg, and so on until runners are chosen for each position or leg. Screens configured to allow patrons to select runners using this method are depicted in FIGS. 14 and 15. A second method, depicted in FIG. 16 is mainly used on Internet betting web sites. In the second method, the patron is presented with a field of runners and two or more positions in which the patron can place a runner. However, the patron must select each runner individually.
In the electronic pari-mutuel gaming industry, the interface screens of existing betting websites and electronic pari-mutuel betting terminals display the track, race, amount of wager and pool options with equal prominence when offering the pari-mutuel gaming activities. Tracks can currently add their graphics to the interface screen. Further, at racetracks and OTBs, only one method is used to prioritize betting options. Although the organizations running the pari-mutuel activities at the racetracks and OTBs may request that the tracks be listed in a specified order, the individual races, pools and wager amounts typically appear identically on the screen of the interface. By presenting betting options in this manner, there is little opportunity for the organizations to channel betting to desired tracks, races, pools and amounts. While the tracks do use prominence of video signals and special promotions, such as awarding double club points for betting on the live track, the existing methods do not influence the presentation of betting options. Tracks can presently make changes in the tote system that control the order in which tracks are listed, the pools available (and possibly pool listing order). Further, the existing methods are neutral from a patron's standpoint since the user interface does not react to organization priorities in any way, except that previously run races are dropped from the available race list. The user interfaces are substantially the same on Internet betting sites, with the exception that some hyperlinks may display the next several races in order to aid the user.
Simulcasting has made a great deal more betting propositions available to patrons. Some bettors would like the ability to set rules for placing wagers and automatically place those wagers. In addition, some bettors would like to extend the application of their rule beyond the current betting session—perhaps on pools running the next week or even the next month. The pari-mutuel industry does not currently allow bettors to set rules for placement of wager on races currently open for betting or on future races not currently open for betting. In pari-mutuel betting, the ability to place wagers for future races requires 1) that the totalisator system is set up to take wagers and 2) that the wagers are purchased at the time the order is placed. There is currently no facility for placing wagers on races and pools that are not set up in the totalisator system, and/or are not funded at the time the order is placed. Therefore, there is no ability for a patron to create rules for future placement of wagers automatically because wagers are officially recorded and, when applicable, tickets are printed only when the wagers are made.